The 37-year-old father tragically died on June 12 when his car slammed into the wall while running in second place at a New Jersey dirt track. Despite being flown to hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Flowers from well-wishers lined the front of the church’s sanctuary, including photos, mementos, his racing gloves and some helmets still covered with dirt and debris.

No coffin was present during the service, which also was attended by NASCAR President Mike Helton, team owner Chip Ganassi, and Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs.

Throughout the service, a video montage presented Leffler’s evolution as a racer throughout his life. It closed with several photos of the Long Beach native hanging with Stewart. Leffler and the three-time Sprint Cup champion were close friends.

The hour-long service focussed on Leffler’s passion for racing and his achievements on the track while his close friends and family shared stories centered on his five-year-old son, Charlie Dean. Charlie wasn’t present but Leffler’s mother Pat and several other family members praised him as being a dogged racer, a prankster, but ultimately a doting father.